The grand opening of the Albert H. Brigance Curriculum and Assessment Center was September 27 at Southeastern Oklahoma State University.

The center is housed in the Henry G. Bennett Memorial Library on campus and was made possible by a generous gift from the Brigance family.

Albert Brigance (’55) was honored as a Southeastern Oklahoma State University Distinguished Alumnus in 1999.

Among those in attendance at the grand opening were Brigance family members, University and public school educators, and retired faculty and staff.

Offering remarks at the event were Pat Brigance, wife of Albert; Southeastern president Larry Minks; Mary Gale Budzisz, former president of the International Association of Special Education; Frank Ferguson, chairman of Curriculum Associates; and Kyle Stafford, Southeastern executive director of university development.

The substantial gift included a contribution to the previously established Albert H. Brigance Scholarship.

The Brigance Center will serve as a one-stop shop for elementary education majors, housing diagnostic materials, reading and literacy resources, and other materials.

Brigance was nationally recognized as an early childhood education and resource specialist. He created the first comprehensive criterion-referenced Inventory of Basic Skills, which became the most widely used instrument for assessment evaluation, student academic placement, individual education plans (IEPs) and instructional planning.

He is author of more than 40 books used both nationwide and internationally. He also developed early childhood screening instruments, other inventories for individuals from birth through secondary levels of education and a reading program for older at-risk students and adults with low reading skills.

As an author, he was associated with Curriculum Associates in Massachusetts and Phoenix Learning Systems in Pennsylvania.

The family of the late Albert Brigance was recognized as the 2012 Benefactor Award recipient at the Distinguished Awards banquet in the Visual and Performing Arts Center as part of Homecoming activities.

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